A cocktail (also referred to as cocktail ) is a combination of different drinks , usually alcoholic. The concept is also used to name the event or social gathering where attendees drink cocktails.
Liqueurs, fruit juices, soft drinks (carbonated drinks) and different spirits can be part of a cocktail. The person specialized in preparing and serving cocktails is known as a barman or bartender , while the study of possible combinations to make a cocktail is called cocktail making .
The caipirinha (sugar, lime and cachaça), the screwdriver (orange juice and vodka), the margarita (lemon or lime juice, triple sec and tequila ) and the manhattan (red vermouth and whiskey) are some of the most popular cocktails of the world . Many times the glasses are decorated with olives, cherries, orange slices or other elements.
Without a doubt, one of the most famous cocktails in history is the Bloody Mary. It is considered to have been created in the 1920s by Fernand Petiot and is prepared with tomato juice, Tabasco sauce, vodka, lemon juice, black pepper, salt and Worcestershire sauce.
However, we cannot forget Cosmopolitan, which in recent years has become especially fashionable because it has been used by singers like Madonna and the protagonists of the series "Sex and the City." It is prepared with vodka, lime juice, Cointreau and currant juice.
According to the characteristics of their ingredients and the taste of each individual, cocktails can be taken as an aperitif (before a meal) or as a digestif (after a meal). There are also refreshing cocktails ideal for summer .
In the same way, in addition to the types of cocktails mentioned, we cannot overlook others that are also worth knowing:
-Restorative cocktails, which are characterized because among their ingredients they have products that turn out to be very nutritious.
-Winter cocktails that, as their name indicates, are especially designed to be taken in that aforementioned season of the year. And hence they are made with drinks such as coffee or high alcoholic beverages.
-Mid-afternoon cocktails, which are those served between meals.
In recent times, cocktails have become so fashionable that this has led to the launch of cocktail bars or specific sections in bars and pubs to prepare these drinks. In these spaces there are professionals specialized in them who have instruments such as the shaker, the measuring glass, the strainer, the mixing glass, the spoon...
It is important to keep in mind that a mixture or combination of various elements is also called a cocktail. A seafood cocktail is a gastronomic preparation that is usually made with shrimp and various sauces . A Molotov cocktail is called, on the other hand, an incendiary bomb that is usually made at home with several flammable liquids in a bottle. Drug cocktails , on the other hand, mix different drugs.